A Mother's Day Memo for Real Moms

Some people say that you're not a real mom until you're outnumbered. Others, more recently have said that you're not a real mom unless you breastfeed your child after they are potty trained and can write in cursive (or something like that). Some people say you're not a real mom unless you gave birth to the child, others say not unless you did so "naturally". Some say you need to have XX chromosome to be a real mom, others say only if you make your own baby food and use organic cotton. 

Well, here's what I say: Anyone who loves a kid who just threw up on them is a real mom. You know you're a real mom when you can admit that sometimes your kids get on your nerves, and anyone who denies this is a real mom who also lies. I say you're a real mom if you are a "do-it-all" single mom, and still a real mom if you have one nanny per child. I'll even give you "credit" if you simply delivered a baby and walked away. Why? Because like it or not, and no matter how great their mom that raised them was, that baby will grow up one day and wonder about their "real mom". Many of us have moms who made us, moms who raised us, moms who advised us, and moms who chastised us. They are sometimes one in the same, but more often than not, the lucky ones of us have more than one.I adopt new moms on a regular basis and not because there's anything wrong with my "real mom" either. I just love moms. Some of us have lost our moms. Whether our bio-moms or our chosen-moms, I'm sure the pain is the same. I guess what I'm saying is that in my book, there are no fake moms.

So, since Mother's Day is the time we set aside to honor our mom(s) and reflect on how much we love them (or resent the day because we don't), here's a shout out to all the real moms of the world:Good and Bad, Loved and Despised, Rich and Poor. I honor you all, because none of us would be who we are without somebody mothering them.